Winchester recovery support group gets help from Boston leader

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WINCHESTER, Ind. -- Dozens of arrests and overdoses are plaguing a Randolph County community. The heroin epidemic is reaching a point where many people are saying it's unbearable.

"I’m so tired of watching people die," said Tammy Pruitt.

She is the founder of Faith, Hope and Healing, an organization that brings addiction support groups together, hoping to heal both those struggling and their families. One group, called Brianna's Hope, meets regularly in seven counties across central Indiana. The group has sent more than 300 people to addiction treatment programs.

"We’re here to give help and to give hope that there is a better life," said founder, Randy Davis.

Many organizations come together throughout the week, including a group called Unchained Praises. Volunteer Clint Wyatt knows firsthand what it's like struggling with addiction. He's hoping his story of recovery can help inspire others.

"I've been in your shoes. I've been where you’re at. It does get better," Wyatt said.

On Monday night, the group got some extra motivation from a man dubbed the "Opioid Warrior." Pruitt said she reached out to him online and he responded saying he would be at the meeting. Billy Pfaff is from Boston. He travels around the country helping to encourage people in support groups like Brianna's Hope.

"I've traveled from California to the Canadian border. I think I've hit 54 or 56 communities across the world. I've traveled about 285,000 miles in the last three years and I've placed probably 2,500 myself into treatment," Pfaff said.

He said the problems in central Indiana are similar to those in other communities across the country. One of the biggest problems is finding enough beds and affordable treatment programs.

"We have a very small window to get people help," he said.

That's where groups like Brianna's Hope come in, with a goal to heal that starts with finding even a small glimmer of just that, hope.

For more on Brianna's Hope and to find a recovery group near you, click here. Click here for more on The Opioid Warrior.